Editor:

Production Designer:

Production Companies:

A 20 Nov 1985 Var news item reported that writer Margo Drivas sued producer Bruce Cohn Curtis and Zupnik-Curtis Enterprises for $1 million in damages, alleging Dreamscape was based on a 1979 story she wrote called “Lady in White.” The outcome of this suit could not be determined as of the writing of this Note. HR production charts on 22 Feb 1983 announced that principal photography began 3 Feb 1983 in Los Angeles, CA. Locations included Union Station, Los Angeles, Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos, CA, and the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.
A 18 Jul 1984 LAHExam brief stated the film earned a PG-13 rating on appeal from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) after initially receiving an “R.”
A 4 May 1984 HR article announced the film’s release date had been changed from May 11 1984 to Aug 1984 to allow distributor Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. to mount a “sufficient promotional campaign.” The producers also hoped to benefit from co-star Kate Capshaw’s appearance in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, (1984, see entry) released 23 May 1984.
The 15 Aug 1984 NYT review called Dreamscape , “an enjoyably half-baked movie," and stated, "If it were any less farfetched, it would be less fun.” End credits include the following onscreen statement: “The producers would like to give special thanks to the following companies: Airborne Freight Corporation, Ampex Corporation, Century Data Systems, Chayes Virginia Chair Company, Dunhill Cigarettes, Jack Daniels Distillery, JVC Corporation, Kennedy Corporation, Kenwood Corporation, Laura Scudder’s Snack Foods, Motorola Corporation, Nike Sportswear, Oldsmobile, Omega ...
MoreLess

A 20 Nov 1985 Var news item reported that writer Margo Drivas sued producer Bruce Cohn Curtis and Zupnik-Curtis Enterprises for $1 million in damages, alleging Dreamscape was based on a 1979 story she wrote called “Lady in White.” The outcome of this suit could not be determined as of the writing of this Note. HR production charts on 22 Feb 1983 announced that principal photography began 3 Feb 1983 in Los Angeles, CA. Locations included Union Station, Los Angeles, Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos, CA, and the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.
A 18 Jul 1984 LAHExam brief stated the film earned a PG-13 rating on appeal from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) after initially receiving an “R.”
A 4 May 1984 HR article announced the film’s release date had been changed from May 11 1984 to Aug 1984 to allow distributor Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. to mount a “sufficient promotional campaign.” The producers also hoped to benefit from co-star Kate Capshaw’s appearance in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, (1984, see entry) released 23 May 1984.
The 15 Aug 1984 NYT review called Dreamscape , “an enjoyably half-baked movie," and stated, "If it were any less farfetched, it would be less fun.” End credits include the following onscreen statement: “The producers would like to give special thanks to the following companies: Airborne Freight Corporation, Ampex Corporation, Century Data Systems, Chayes Virginia Chair Company, Dunhill Cigarettes, Jack Daniels Distillery, JVC Corporation, Kennedy Corporation, Kenwood Corporation, Laura Scudder’s Snack Foods, Motorola Corporation, Nike Sportswear, Oldsmobile, Omega Watch Company, Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation, Perrier, Quantal Corporation, RCA, Rick Pallack, Seven-Up Corporation, Thrifty Rent-a-Car, TWA, Zero Corporation.”MoreLess

The President of the United States is awakened from a nightmare, in which his late wife runs through an apocalyptic landscape screaming his name. Later, at Thornhill College in California, psychiatrist Paul Novotny, a sleep researcher; his colleague, Dr. Jane DeVries; and a government agent named Bob Blair discuss the case of Alex Gardner, a young psychic who disappeared nine years earlier. Novotny and Blair agree that Alex would be a perfect addition to their research staff, if he can be found. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, California, Alex uses his psychic powers to win money betting on horses. A trainer named Snead and his men pursue Alex demanding he share his winnings, but he eludes them. Outside Alex’s apartment, two men, Roy Babcock and Gary Finch, claiming to be from Thornhill College, offer Alex a proposition. They take Alex to Thornhill where he meets Jane DeVries, who introduces him to the work she is doing in sleep research. During their tour of the facility, Alex slips away and is reunited with Dr. Novotny, who had been his mentor in Chicago, Illinois. At an off-campus bar, Novotny reveals that two men he is working with telepathically entered the dreams of other people, and he would like Alex to join the project. Nearby, a man named Charlie Prince watches them. Alex spends the night at the research facility and observes another psychic, Edward Simms, “dreamlink” to a disturbed young boy named “Buddy.” Something goes wrong, Novotny and Jane awaken the subjects, but Simms is rendered comatose. The following morning, when Alex balks at participating in the project, Novotny informs him that the Internal Revenue Service has taken an interest in his ...
+−

The President of the United States is awakened from a nightmare, in which his late wife runs through an apocalyptic landscape screaming his name. Later, at Thornhill College in California, psychiatrist Paul Novotny, a sleep researcher; his colleague, Dr. Jane DeVries; and a government agent named Bob Blair discuss the case of Alex Gardner, a young psychic who disappeared nine years earlier. Novotny and Blair agree that Alex would be a perfect addition to their research staff, if he can be found. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, California, Alex uses his psychic powers to win money betting on horses. A trainer named Snead and his men pursue Alex demanding he share his winnings, but he eludes them. Outside Alex’s apartment, two men, Roy Babcock and Gary Finch, claiming to be from Thornhill College, offer Alex a proposition. They take Alex to Thornhill where he meets Jane DeVries, who introduces him to the work she is doing in sleep research. During their tour of the facility, Alex slips away and is reunited with Dr. Novotny, who had been his mentor in Chicago, Illinois. At an off-campus bar, Novotny reveals that two men he is working with telepathically entered the dreams of other people, and he would like Alex to join the project. Nearby, a man named Charlie Prince watches them. Alex spends the night at the research facility and observes another psychic, Edward Simms, “dreamlink” to a disturbed young boy named “Buddy.” Something goes wrong, Novotny and Jane awaken the subjects, but Simms is rendered comatose. The following morning, when Alex balks at participating in the project, Novotny informs him that the Internal Revenue Service has taken an interest in his gambling winnings. Later, Jane runs Alex through some simple psychic exercises and they acknowledge a sexual attraction to one another. The following day, Alex meets Tommy Ray Glatman, the other psychic to have successfully dreamlinked. Alex asks for advice, but Tommy insists he only does the research for his own benefit and warns Alex that he will wind up like Simms. Later, Alex successfully enters the mind of a steelworker, who dreams he is dangling from a girder on a skyscraper. He attempts to rescue the man, but falls. When he awakens, Alex cannot believe how real the experience felt. Afterward, Alex is congratulated by Bob Blair, who informs him that the research is government-funded, and asks for his assurance that he will make no more unauthorized visits to the dream lab. The following day, while jogging on campus, Alex sees Jane with the troubled boy, Buddy. She explains that Buddy is tormented by a monster in his dreams, and Alex consoles the boy. Meanwhile, at the western White House, the president dreams of a nuclear conflagration and is guilt-ridden over causing it. In the morning, government agent Bob Blair visits and the president confides that his dreams are getting worse. Blair offers that the dream research he is overseeing may be able to help, but the president believes he is having the dreams for a reason, and declares he will seek a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Back at Thornhill College, Alex requests to dreamlink with Buddy, but Novotny refuses, not wanting to jeopardize the project. When Alex threatens to quit the program, Novotny relents. Alex enters Buddy’s dream and helps the boy vanquish his nemesis, the “Snakeman.” Later, Alex sketches the creature and Tommy Ray Glatman mocks him when he admits the Snakeman has upset him. Alex invites Jane to dinner, but she declines, not wanting to be one of his conquests or to jeopardize their research. In town, at the bar, Alex is approached by Charlie Prince, who introduces himself as an author working on a new book about dreams. Prince informs Alex that Blair is head of U.S. covert intelligence and one of the most powerful men in the country. When Prince notices a man watching them, he excuses himself and leaves. Alex returns to campus and finds Jane asleep in her office. He enters her dream and she is riding a train. He seduces her and they make love. When Jane awakens, she is livid and Alex attempts to apologize, but she insists they forget what happened. However, Alex, points out that for the first time he has entered a dream without wires or a hook-up. Meanwhile, Bob Blair approaches Novotny about helping the president. Later, Tommy Ray enters the dream of Mrs. Matusik, an older woman, and she dies of a heart attack. Afterward, Alex is suspicious when Tommy Ray claims to be upset by the incident. Blair prepares for the president’s visit, but Novotny challenges the agent’s motives. Blair visits Tommy Ray and declares he has big plans for the young man. Alex sneaks into Novotny’s office, reads Tommy Ray’s file, and discovers that he murdered his father. Later, Alex secretly meets with Charlie Prince on campus and the writer informs Alex that he is in danger. Charlie claims that Bob Blair ordered Tommy Ray to kill Mrs. Matusik in her sleep and plans to turn Alex into a dream assassin, as well. Four of Blair’s men arrive, kill Prince, and throw Alex into Blair’s car. The government agent gives Alex a choice: work for him or die. Alex leaps from the moving car and eludes Blair’s men by stealing a motorcycle. The following day, Blair welcomes the president to Thornhill. Meanwhile, Alex telephones Jane from the racetrack to warn her about Blair, and she shares Novotny’s concern that the president is in danger. Blair’s men pursue Alex, and he asks Snead, the trainer, for help in exchange for providing him five sure winners. Snead’s associates impede Blair’s men, and Alex escapes by hiding in a horse trailer. Back at Thornhill, Blair confronts Novotny and the doctor is stopped when he attempts to leave the facility. Meanwhile, Alex sneaks into the dream lab with Jane’s help. Alex grabs Blair’s man, Finch, and Jane discovers Novotny’s dead body. Finch reveals that the president is in the room next to Tommy Ray, who waits with Blair to enter the president’s dream. Alex and Jane go to her office, located directly beneath the president’s room, and Alex struggles to access the president’s dream before Tommy Ray can. In the dream, the president rides on a train through a post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. Alex warns the president that Bob Blair has sent an assassin to kill him and urges him to wake up, but the president responds that he was given a sedative. When Tommy Ray sees Alex, he boasts that he now gets to kill two people. A police officer enters the train car and Tommy Ray reaches into the man’s chest and pulls out his heart. The train plunges into a tunnel, the car fills with radiation-scarred people, and Tommy Ray urges them to attack the president. Alex and the president escape to another car, and Tommy Ray attacks Alex, then morphs into Snakeman. Alex and the president enter a fiery subway tunnel and are attacked by wild dogs and Snakeman. Tommy Ray bites Alex, but the victim uses his mind to heal the wound. Alex morphs into Tommy Ray’s father and calls out to him. When Tommy Ray turns around, the president impales him from behind. Waiting in Tommy Ray’s room, Bob Blair sees the young man convulse and die. The president awakens in his room, dresses, and brushes past Blair, stating the agent will not get away with putting a psychopath in his dream. Blair insists he is untouchable as the president leaves with his Secret Service detail. Meanwhile, Alex and Jane are met outside by the president, who thanks Alex for saving his life. He offers to assign men to protect Alex, but the psychic replies that he must handle Blair himself. Sometime later, Alex enters Blair’s dream and kills him. The following day, Alex and Jane board a train to Louisville, Kentucky. The conductor who collects their tickets is the same man who appeared as the conductor in Jane’s dream.
+−

Seventy-year-old newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies in his palatial Florida home, Xanadu, after uttering the single word “Rosebud.” While watching a newsreel summarizing the years during which Kane ... >>

The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.